Rank Information

The Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service works daily to make sure that those who serve have the employment support they need when they transition back into civilian life. Here are three ways we’re getting veterans back to work:

1. Transition Training

As a component of the Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, the Labor Department provides a mandatory three-day employment workshop, as well as an optional two-day Career Technical Training Track curriculum focused on licensing, credentialing and apprenticeship programs that lead to well-paying civilian jobs and meaningful careers. During the 2016 fiscal year, the department hosted over 6,300 employment workshops worldwide for over 184,000 participants.

America sends its sons and daughters to war, and a new play titled "I Will Wait" looks at the effect of these deployments across the generations.

The brainchild of Amy Uptgraft, the play connects the experiences of spouses from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq. Uptgraft wrote the play with Gregory Stieber, who also directed the play. It premiered July 31 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Nearly 75,000 students are beginning the 2015-2016 School Year in Department of Defense Education Activity schools around the world.

DoDEA schools educate children of service members and the civilians who support them in 12 nations, seven states and two territories. Through its Educational Partnership Branch, DoDEA provides support to more than a million military-connected students who attend public schools throughout the United States.

Today, Women's Equality Day not only commemorates the ratification of the 95th anniversary of the 19th Amendment -- which solidified women's voting rights -- but it also coincides with current milestones for women in service, a Pentagon official said in an Aug. 24 DoD News interview.

Officer and Enlisted Personnel Management Director Juliet Beyler, who oversees department-wide policies that include promotions, assignments, separations, force management, and awards and decorations, said casting a wider net for talent and diversity across the force is critical.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), all Americans including all military members (active duty, retired, Selected Reserve, or Retired Reserve) and their eligible family members must have health care coverage that meets a minimum standard called minimum essential coverage or pay a fee. Your TRICARE coverage meets the minimum essential coverage requirement under the ACA.

"The term "active duty" means full-time duty in the active service of a uniformed service for more than 30 consecutive days".

TRICARE beneficiaries who take certain brand-name medications on a regular basis will be required to fill prescriptions at a military treatment facility or through a mail-in program beginning Oct. 1, a Defense Health Agency official said yesterday.

George Jones, DHA’s pharmacy operations division chief, said the new policy does not apply to active-duty troops, overseas beneficiaries, nursing-home residents and those with other health insurance that has a prescription-drug program. In certain circumstances, he added, some beneficiaries might be waived from the program on an individual basis.

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be buried with full military honors.

Army Maj. Dale W. Richardson of Mount Sterling, Illinois, will be buried Aug. 29, in Mountain View, Ark. Richardson was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and was the passenger aboard an UH-1H Iroquois (Huey) helicopter that was en route to Fire Support Base Katum, South Vietnam, when it was diverted due to bad weather. After flying into Cambodian airspace, the aircraft came under heavy enemy ground fire, causing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia. The Huey's four crewmen and its four passengers survived the landing. One crewman was able to evade being captured by enemy forces and later returned to friendly lines. The other three crewmen and one passenger were captured. Two of the captured crewmen were released by the Vietnamese in 1973, and the remains of the other two captured men were returned to U.S. control in the 1980s and identified. Richardson died at the site of the crash during a fire fight with enemy forces. His remains were not recovered after the fire fight.

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be buried with full military honors.

Army Maj. Dale W. Richardson of Mount Sterling, Illinois, will be buried Aug. 29, in Mountain View, Ark. Richardson was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and was the passenger aboard an UH-1H Iroquois (Huey) helicopter that was en route to Fire Support Base Katum, South Vietnam, when it was diverted due to bad weather. After flying into Cambodian airspace, the aircraft came under heavy enemy ground fire, causing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia. The Huey's four crewmen and its four passengers survived the landing. One crewman was able to evade being captured by enemy forces and later returned to friendly lines. The other three crewmen and one passenger were captured. Two of the captured crewmen were released by the Vietnamese in 1973, and the remains of the other two captured men were returned to U.S. control in the 1980s and identified. Richardson died at the site of the crash during a fire fight with enemy forces. His remains were not recovered after the fire fight.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2015 - The 2015 Military Youth of the Year honor, presented jointly by the Defense Department and Boys and Girls Clubs of America, was awarded to an 18-year-old military daughter from Vogelweh, Germany, during a ceremony held at the Navy Memorial Naval Heritage Center here yesterday.

RianSimone Harris, 18, an 11-year member of the program, was selected from six finalists for her sound character, leadership abilities and willingness to give back to her community -- the partnership's goal in supporting youth programs and military youth, officials said.

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that servicemen, missing from World War II, have been accounted for and their remains are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces 1st Lt. William P. Cook of Alameda, California; Flight Officer Arthur J. LeFavre of Red Bank, New Jersey; Staff Sgts. Maurice J. Fevold of Chicago, Frank G. Lane Jr. of Cleveland and Ward C. Swalwell Jr. of Chicago; and Sgt. Eric M. Honeyman of Alameda, California, have been accounted for and will be buried with full military honors. Cook was buried Oct. 18, 2014, in Oakland, California. Fevold was buried Oct. 20, 2014, in Ft. Dodge, Iowa, and Lane was buried May 2 in Willoughby, Ohio. Honeyman was buried on June 22 in Trail, British Columbia, Canada. LeFavre will be buried on Aug. 18 in Arlington National Cemetery. The group representing the crew will be buried on Aug. 18 in Arlington National Cemetery. Swalwell will be buried on Aug. 20 in Arlington National Cemetery.

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Cpl. Nehemiah E. Butler Pocomoke City, Maryland, will be buried today in Arlington National Cemetery. In late December 1950, Butler and elements of Company C, 19th Infantry Regiment (IR), 24th Infantry Division (ID), were deployed near Seoul, South Korea, when their unit was attacked by enemy forces. During the attempt to delay the enemy forces from advancing, Butler was separated from his unit while moving towards a more defensible position. Butler was reported missing Jan. 1, 1951.

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stephen V. Biezis of Chicago will be buried Aug. 14, in Arlington National Cemetery. His co-pilot, 1st Lt. James F. Gatlin of Jacksonville, Florida, was buried Jan. 30, in Bushnell, Florida. On Dec. 23, 1944, Biezis and his crew of five were assigned to the 575th Bombardment Squadron, 391st Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force and were deployed to Germany. Biezis was the co-pilot of a B-26C Marauder that crashed after being struck by enemy fire while on a bombing mission against enemy forces near Ahrweiler, Germany. Biezis, Gatlin and three other crew members were reported killed in action. His remains were not recovered during the war.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2015 - In remarks at the National Purple Heart Ceremony at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate today, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff praised heroes across wars and eras who have exemplified bravery and endured incomprehensible peril.

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia stressed that the Purple Heart is a decoration of explicit distinction, recognizable not just to the American citizen, but to people around the world. "Many nations, militaries envy our culture and the dignified manner that we hold to our fallen, but also how we recognize and care for our wounded," he said.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2015 - Military children may have opportunities to live in interesting places but they also face unique challenges that can affect their education, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command said yesterday at the Military Child Education Coalition seminar here.

Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. said the MCEC offers customized tools and information to give military children the greatest opportunity for a successful education, with long-term impact.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Aug. 29, 2014 - Many service members may not know of their entitlements when shipping personal vehicles as they move overseas or return stateside, according to U.S. Transportation Command officials.

"Our customers have reasonable expectations on the delivery of their vehicles," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul H. Guemmer. "I know I do."

Guemmer is the Deputy Director (Military) for the Strategy, Capabilities, Policy, and Logistics Directorate at Transcom, which is headquartered here. He is responsible for DoD's transportation strategy across the entire Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise, to include infrastructure, long-range programs, future requirements, coalition integration, and mobility partnerships with industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today launched an improved version of the GI Bill® Comparison Tool, which was first launched in February 2014. The GI Bill Comparison Tool is designed to make it easier for Veterans, Servicemembers, and dependents to estimate their GI Bill education benefits and learn more about VA’s approved college, university, and other education and training programs across the country. It also provides key information about college affordability and value so beneficiaries can choose the best education program to meet their needs.

In the past 6 months, nearly 350,000 people have accessed the tool on VA’s GI Bill website. The top schools searched by users include: American Public University, Harvard, University of Texas at Austin, Arizona State University, and University of Washington.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2014 - The Defense Department has issued a request for proposals to modernize its electronic health records and allow DoD to share health data with the private sector and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

It is a multi-billion dollar request to replace many of the current DoD legacy health care systems. This includes Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA), Composite Health Care System (CHCS) (inpatient), and most components of the Theater Medical Information Program-Joint (TMIP-J), with the objective of achieving initial fielding of a modernized replacement by the end of calendar year 2016.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced plans to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new Medical Appointment Scheduling System; the next step in a series of actions VA has taken to replace its antiquated legacy scheduling system. The new system will improve access to care for Veterans by providing medical schedulers with cutting-edge, management-based scheduling software. The RFP will be made public by the end of September 2014; eligible vendors will have 30 days to respond from the day of issuance.

8/5/2014 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Election season is right around the corner and political campaigning is ramping up. It's a good time to review campaigning restrictions placed on military members and civilian Department of Defense employees.

Restrictions are imposed to avoid any inference that an individual's political activities imply or appear to imply official sponsorship, approval or endorsement by the DoD. Even though there are restrictions on political activities, military members and civilian employees may vote for whomever they choose.

August 5, 2014VA launches new identity theft website and toll-free help line

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that it has launched a new campaign to educate Veterans about identity theft prevention. The new campaign, titled More Than a Number, references the personally identifiable information that VA encourages Veterans to protect.

“We recognize that for Veterans, as for all Americans in the digital age, identity theft is a growing concern,” said Steph Warren, VA’s Chief Information Officer. “Our goal is to help educate and protect those who have protected this great country.”

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2013 - As a new school year begins, a Department of Veterans Affairs official announced today that VA will nearly triple the number of colleges and universities it partners with to offer on-campus vocational and rehabilitative VA counseling through its "VetSuccess on Campus" program.

Curt Coy, VA's deputy undersecretary for economic opportunity, told reporters during a conference call that the program, which began in 2009, will expand from its existing 32 campuses to 94. Its primary goal is to provide on-campus counseling and referral services to student veterans as they transition to civilian life, Coy said.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2013 - Department of Defense Education Activity students, parents and employees should expect quite a few changes in the upcoming school year, the DODEA director said in an Aug. 23 interview.

Those changes will be both visible and behind the scenes, but they all are geared toward improving the quality of education at DODEA schools, Marilee Fitzgerald told American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2013 - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the second round of HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing funding to local public housing agencies across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The $7.8 million in added funding will provide housing and clinical services for 1,120 currently homeless veterans.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 15, 2013 - Experts from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs gathered here yesterday to discuss the future of veterans' mental health and traumatic brain injury research efforts at the Military Health System Research Symposium.

Discussion leaders included Health Affairs Director of Medical Research Dr. Terry Rauch, Acting Chief Officer of the VA Office of Research and Development Dr. Timothy O'Leary, U.S. Army's Combat Casualty Care Research Program Director Col. Dallas Hack, Deputy Director of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center Katherine Helmick, and Uniformed Services University School of Medicine's Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress Director Dr. Robert Ursano.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2013 - Today, the Department of Defense announced its plan to extend benefits to same-sex spouses of uniformed service members and Department of Defense civilian employees, according to a DOD news release issued today.

After a review of the department's benefit policies following the Supreme Court's ruling that Section Three of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, and in consultation with the Department of Justice and other executive branch agencies, the Defense Department will make spousal and family benefits available no later than Sept. 3, 2013, regardless of sexual orientation, as long as service member-sponsors provide a valid marriage certificate.

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. service member, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps Pfc. Jonathan R. Posey Jr., 20, of Dallas, will be buried Aug. 12 in Arlington National Cemetery. In December 1950, Posey, assigned to L Battery, 4th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was serving provisionally as an infantryman with the 7th Marine Regiment at Yudam-ni in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir. On Dec. 2, 1950, Posey was killed in action while the 5th and 7th Marine Regiments were withdrawing to Hagaru-ri.

FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug. 7, 2013 - The Defense Department will reduce the number of TRICARE Prime service areas in the United States beginning Oct. 1, affecting about 171,000 retirees and their family members.

Those beneficiaries, who mostly reside more than 40 miles from a military clinic or hospital, received a letter earlier this year explaining their options. They will receive a second letter later this month.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2013 - As part of the Integrated Mental Health Strategy, the Defense Department's National Center for Telehealth and Technology and the Veterans Affairs Department's mental health informatics section have partnered to develop an interactive online educational and life-coaching program. Moving Forward, at http://www.startmovingforward.org, is designed to teach problem-solving skills to members of the military community, Dr. Robert Ciulla, director of the mobile health program at the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, told American Forces Press Service today.

8/7/2013 - JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- The schedule of a military spouse is an arduous one.

Appointments, dinners, and family time are vital to maintaining the normalcy that can strain military life. Add volunteerism and the schedule can get as challenging as that of the crafter at the grinding wheel, but a military spouse is earnestly involved and focused.

Alicia Hinds Ward, the 2013 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year, is another in the long line of military mothers and spouses who work a multitude of tasks -- seemingly at the same time.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2013 - Savings and the ability to reprogram funds made possible today's announcement by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that unpaid furlough days for about 650,000 civilian employees are being reduced.

Hagel signed a memo cutting furlough days for about 650,000 Defense Department civilian employees from 11 to six. This means that for most employees, the furlough will be over Aug. 17.

DALLAS - The Army & Air Force Exchange Service and The Walt Disney Studios are teaming up to offer first-run films to military families at continental United States Exchange movie theaters.

The agreement marks the first time in the Exchange's 118-year history that movies will be shown at continental United States Exchange theaters on the same day of general market release. First-run movies have previously only been available at Exchange theaters outside the continental United States.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2013 - A White House and Defense Department challenge to hire 50,000 military spouses by the end of 2015 surpassed its goal Aug. 1, the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness told members of the Defense Department's Military Family Readiness Council at the Pentagon today.

The effort to hire 50,000 spouses reached fruition through the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, a group of more than 180 employers that vowed to recruit military spouses, Jessica Wright said.

SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 6, 2013 - A group that got its start in Army Entertainment is the driving force behind the American Military Spouses Choir, an "America's Got Talent" quarterfinalist scheduled to perform tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2013 - The Department of Veterans Affairs announced yesterday that veterans filing an original fully developed claim for service-connected disability compensation may be entitled to up to one-year of retroactive disability benefits.

The retroactive benefits, which are in effect Aug. 6, 2013, through Aug. 5, 2015, are a result of a comprehensive legislative package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama last year.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 28, 2012 - Service members, their families and U.S. citizens living overseas now have voting information at their fingertips with the Federal Voting Assistance program's new mobile website.

The site provides an interface that quickly leads users to voting information in an easy-to-read, mobile-friendly format.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2012 - While U.S. service members in Afghanistan made mistakes in handling Qurans in February, there was no intent "to disrespect the Quran or defame Islam," the general investigating the incident wrote in his report.

U.S. Central Command released the results of the investigation into the incident, in which Qurans removed from a library for detainees were mishandled at Bagram Airfield.

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, were recently identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

Army Sgt. 1st Class William T. Brown of La Habra, Calif., Sgt. 1st Class Donald M. Shue of Kannapolis, N.C., and Sgt. 1st Class Gunther H. Wald of Palisades Park, N.J., will be buried as a group on Aug. 30, in a single casket representing the three soldiers, in Arlington National Cemetery. Brown and Shue were each individually buried on Sept. 26, 2011, at Arlington and May 1 in Kannapolis, N.C.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2012 - The White House initiative to hire veterans and military spouses has surpassed its goals, having led to the hiring or training of more than 125,000 veterans and spouses in the past year, First Lady Michelle Obama announced today.

Speaking to sailors and their families at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla., the first lady said 2,000 companies have hired 125,000 employees through their pledges to the "Joining Forces" campaign, and, of those, 140 employers have hired 28,000 military spouses.

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, has been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John E. Hogan, of West Plains, Mo., will be buried Aug. 24, in Arlington National Cemetery. On Sept. 13, 1944, Hogan and eight other crew members were on a B-17G Flying Fortress that crashed near Neustädt-on-Werra, Germany. Only one of the crewmen is known to have successfully parachuted out of the aircraft before it crashed. The remaining eight crewmen were buried by German forces in a cemetery in Neustädt.

Healthy is a way of life for Finwe, 9, who lives with her family on 30 acres in southwest Wisconsin, according to her mother, Kristina, and it was their recipe for a meatless burger that earned the two seats at the first-ever "Kids' State Dinner [ http://www.letsmove.gov/kids-state-dinner ]" at the White House yesterday.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2012 - The Labor Department today awarded grants totaling $11.53 million through the Veterans' Workforce Investment Program to provide an estimated 5,500 veterans with job training and skills development services.

"These grants will increase the skill sets of veterans and result in training and credentialing for jobs in high-demand industries," Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis said. "Our veterans made sacrifices on behalf of our nation, and I ask all employers to renew their commitment to veterans, because the best way to honor our veterans is to hire them."

Families of wounded warriors already are benefitting from a program that started last month to make it easier for them to travel with their loved ones for medical treatment.

The Defense Department and Fisher House Foundation have teamed up to oversee the Hotels for Heroes program, which allows the American public to donate their unused hotel reward points to families of wounded warriors so that they might stay for free in hotels around the country while their family member receives medical treatment.

U.S. Nationwide, August 8, 2012 – COUPLES RETREAT - A New Docu-Reality Program, is looking to help MARRIED COUPLES get a fresh, honest start in their marriage.

For the first time ever, married couples struggling with secrets of infidelity, will have the opportunity to take part in a groundbreaking new program to help their marriage get back on track, while clearing their conscience.

LONDON, Aug. 8, 2012 - Team USA coaches did not recognize their wrestler as Army Spc. Justin Lester -- or Harry Lester, as some know him -- as he finished eighth in the Olympic men's Greco-Roman 66-kilogram tournament yesterday at ExCel North Arena 2 here.

"He was lacking the normal Harry Lester zip that he has," Team USA Greco-Roman head wrestling coach Steve Fraser said. "Harry, or Justin, looked a little bit sluggish, and he looked like he got a little bit tired."

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